A romance for the ages...

{HISTORY}

England's Haddon Hall has been the site of romantic storytelling for over nine hundred years. In the 20th century, one of their greatest love affairs was permanently immortalized on dishware made by several English potteries, celebrating the estate's history and the family that managed to keep it exclusively in their ownership throughout nine centuries.

This pair of vintage dinner plates were made by English pottery J & G Meakin during the 1970s and 1980s as part of their Romantic England series. In a beautiful pastoral setting, Haddon can be seen tucked into the trees with a bridge and the River Wye running just below it.

As a landscape steeped in history and destined for drama, the subject of this scene's forbidden love story is not the house itself but the footbridge on the grounds below. That is the site where an illicit 16th century romance between noblewoman Dorothy Vernon (1545-1584) and Haddon Hall rivaling family member George Manners met before they eloped and lived happily ever after. Dorothy's father disapproved of the relationship, but love won the day regardless. The bridge, now known as the Dorothy Vernon Footbridge forever symbolizes the love-wins-all romance in the ancestral lineage of Haddon Hall.  

Alongside this love story, these dinner plates also boast a floral lace pattern around the shoulder and a scalloped edge in the same complimentary color palette of pink and white and red.

So pretty for Valentine's Day dinners, holiday parties, and colorful shelf display, these plates are also especially fun for Britbox movie binges with friends and family. 

Contemporary photo of the Dorothy Vernon footbridge courtesy of Haddon Medieval Park.

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Red and white color palette
• Matching set of two
• Haddon Hall setting
• Stamped on back with  maker's mark

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, these plates contain no chips, cracks spots or staining with the exception of one small chip on the back of one plate near the rim that measures 1/4" inch in length. That chip cannot be seen from the front and was most likely caused by a metal plate hanger - the fateful mark of many a vintage dish. The transferware details are crisp and clear on both dishes, but one plate is more finely detailed than the other. Each plate contains colors that are bright and vibrant. Please see photos. 

{SIZE}

Each plate measures 10" inches in diameter and weighs 1.2 lbs. 

{FOR THE COLLECTOR} 

Find more pieces in this pattern here.